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Last post Author Topic: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool  (Read 248677 times)

TucknDar

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #25 on: April 25, 2008, 07:08 AM »
I had a similar experience to Dormouse. Much was very right with Linkman, but I felt that what I needed was basically just better organized bookmarks, and that requires ME to make changes anyway. So I figured I could do with Opera's bookmark manager.

I did like part of the features of Linkman, like the search-as-you-type desktop toolbar (or what you call it). but FARR+Farrfox plugin essentially gives me the same feature.

(I experienced a few crashes as well, but unfortunately I rarely bother reporting such things... Sorry for being a lazy user. )

In conclusion, though, I did like Linkman quite a lot, and I liked how I could just send the currently opened URL to a folder with today's date without any interaction. But I ended up uninstalling it because I felt that the essential functionality I wanted could be somewhat reproduced with other apps, so couldn't justify spending money on it.

Tiesenhausen

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #26 on: April 25, 2008, 01:23 PM »
Hi,

Linkman sounds great, but for my personal needs it seems to share a great default with all the programs that try to replay Windows bookmarks. Maybe I'm wrong.

For all its defects, the Microsoft system lets the user put bookmarks anywhere: on the desktop, in the favorites folders, and in any directory.  For example, in one folder you can put an article you're writing, links to files on your disk with material for the article, links to images, and links to related websites. Or, in a folder named Berlin, you can put all your ondisk and internet links having to do with that city.

I've built up literally thousands of links (some duplicates, of course) scattered through hundreds of directories all over my hard drives and on three computers.

Linkman like every other similar system seems like it just imports the Microsoft links from the Favorites folder and turns them into better Linkman links.  I want all my links to stay where they are, including the ones in Favorites and all the rest. Furthermore, I want to be able quickly to copy any new link I create from its home folder into, maybe, dozens of other folders all over my network, and then maybe down the road copy any one of those scattered links into still more folders.

This is a very powerful and useful feature of Microsoft technology.  Sure the links system could be better, but not if I have to start all over again with a new system that is not integrated with the Microsoft folders organization.

Have I got it all wrong?

Michael Bates

J-Mac

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #27 on: April 25, 2008, 01:53 PM »
Hi Tiesenhausen Michael, and welcome to the DC forums!!

I haven't done much with my IE Favorites in a few years, but IIRC they are similar to Firefox's bookmarks - and its bookmarks organizer.  That is, not very user friendly in the way of organizing quickly, easily, and in a way that is unique to you.  IOW, not much at all in the way of user configuration.

Linkman is - hopefully - an application that allows us to organize our Favorites/bookmarks the way we can use them most efficiently and effectively.  I cannot say exactly how well it does that just yet, as I just installed it last night and am trying it out to see how I like it myself.

It appears at first blush that it does indeed give me more organizing options than does the default bookmarks manager in Firefox.  However it also appears to be more geared toward IE than anything else.  If you have read the posts in this thread - which I am sure you have - then you can see that.

That alone is not a deal-killer for me at all, though to be honest I would like to see more of a commitment to Firefox before I make a purchase.  Also, I would prefer something that is extremely mobile - even an online solution.  Linkman may well be mobile enough via using it on a USB flash drive, though I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

Really just a way to cook and mix your Favorites a little more than the default Favorites.

Jim

KenR

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #28 on: April 25, 2008, 02:32 PM »
Hi all.

After I wrote this review, it received few replies so I stopped following the thread shortly thereafter. I have been happily using the program with Firefox with no difficulty since before I wrote the review. If anyone still has questions, please let me know and I will try to address them (though obviously the author knows far more and has been addressing issues as well). I'm delighted the review has been helpful to some people.

Ken

P.S. Ha Ha Zaine! <vbg>
Kenneth P. Reeder, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Jacksonville, North Carolina  28546

J-Mac

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #29 on: April 25, 2008, 03:11 PM »
@Ken or Outertech Support:

The method for adding URL's using the deskbar is fairly simple, except for one aspect, and I have not yet found a quick remedy:  Clicking the globe w/Link icon auto adds the URL to my bookmarks, but it goes to whichever folder is highlighted in the Linkman window, which is, of course, not visible when adding URLs.  If I wanted to add the bookmark to a specific folder in my bookmarks (actually my Linkman bookmarks), how do I accomplish this without opening the main Linkman interface?

That is probably the one thing I would miss by not using the Firefox extension "OpenBook".  It's dialog has a smaller representation of my Fx Bookmarks folder contents and I can quickly navigate to the directory/sub-directory where I would like to place the URL I am trying to add. Screen Cap below:

OpenBook Dialog.jpgMiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool

Thanks!

Jim

KenR

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #30 on: April 25, 2008, 03:20 PM »
@Ken or Outertech Support:

The method for adding URL's using the deskbar is fairly simple, except for one aspect, and I have not yet found a quick remedy:  Clicking the globe w/Link icon auto adds the URL to my bookmarks, but it goes to whichever folder is highlighted in the Linkman window, which is, of course, not visible when adding URLs.  If I wanted to add the bookmark to a specific folder in my bookmarks (actually my Linkman bookmarks), how do I accomplish this without opening the main Linkman interface?

That is probably the one thing I would miss by not using the Firefox extension "OpenBook".  It's dialog has a smaller representation of my Fx Bookmarks folder contents and I can quickly navigate to the directory/sub-directory where I would like to place the URL I am trying to add. Screen Cap below:
 (see attachment in previous post)
Thanks!

Jim

Hey Jim,

Very good question. The way I have dealt with this is to Add and Edit, rather than just adding. That way I can immediately put it where I want instead of wherever it was last set.

Hope this helps!

Ken
Kenneth P. Reeder, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Jacksonville, North Carolina  28546

J-Mac

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #31 on: April 25, 2008, 04:05 PM »
Thanks Ken!

However this could make saving bookmarks kind of a longer process.  Hopefully there is a quicker way to which Support can alert us. Otherwise I will be adding significant time to my bookmarking efforts.  Though in actuality, I currently do need to take a hard look at my bookmark organization, mainly due to not being real careful what and where I save.

Thanks again!

Jim

J-Mac

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #32 on: April 25, 2008, 04:25 PM »
Problem: I just opened Linkman to its full window and - nothing is there.  Nothing at all.

What happened to my bookmarks I had saved last night?  Last night I had imported my Firefox bookmarks file and they were all showing in Linkman.  When I first sat at my computer today Linkman was running in Deskbar mode and I would have thought that it would still have all in there that I had imported, plus what I added last night.

Hopefully the Outertech guy will reply and tell me how to get them open.

Is it required to manually save every so often?  Nothing is auto-saved?  My computer rebooted sometime during the very early morning hours after a scheduled maintenance task ran - but that is the case daily. If I must save everything manually before a reboot, then that IS a deal-killer!

Jim

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #33 on: April 25, 2008, 04:54 PM »
OK - I imported my Firefox bookmarks again and the ones saved last night in Linkman are there.  Whew!!  :)

I'm reading through the Help file and PDF manual again, a little more closely now.  But some of this I would expect to be more easily determined right in the UI.  Also, a lot of times the documentation refers only to the Internet Explorer Favorites and the Netscape bookmarks.  I think a lot of the help doc material has been around for quite a while...

I do think it is great that it has such a detailed PDF manual available, though the Help file is a little sparse.  Some items I searched for and got the "Not Found" ding. Also the manual goes into a lot of the basics, and is lengthy mostly because of the large number of screenshots - which I actually think is very good.  However some things like the database locations are not shown at all.  I was going through all the Application Data folders over and over, plus the Program Files folder - only to find it is kept in My Docs!  Not a bad choice at all, though so many developers still insist on using the Program Files folder that I didn't think to look on My Docs first.

Also, the Settings dialog...  This might be one for that website of Settings designs that need improvement.  Tabs down the right side and settings seem a bit, scattered? It will take getting used to!

Thanks!

Jim

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #34 on: April 26, 2008, 08:46 AM »
Linkman has been updated to 7.2.0.22 (from .21).

All problems with recognizing Firefox or SeaMonkey as default system browsers have been corrected.

There are aliases that point always to the latest builds:

http://www.outertech...om/files/linkman.exe
http://www.outertech...om/files/linkman.zip

--

I'll answer the remaining questions later today.

mouser

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #35 on: April 26, 2008, 10:46 AM »
I think someone should take note of the fact that, whether you decide Linkman is right for you or not, rarely have we seen a shareware author so responsive to user questions and suggestions posted on this forum.  It's impressive and speaks very well for Outertech.  :up:

Outertech Support

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #36 on: April 26, 2008, 02:08 PM »
@Ken or Outertech Support:

The method for adding URL's using the deskbar is fairly simple, except for one aspect, and I have not yet found a quick remedy:  Clicking the globe w/Link icon auto adds the URL to my bookmarks, but it goes to whichever folder is highlighted in the Linkman window, which is, of course, not visible when adding URLs.  If I wanted to add the bookmark to a specific folder in my bookmarks (actually my Linkman bookmarks), how do I accomplish this without opening the main Linkman interface?

There fastest way to do it:

Switch the Toolbar from All to Folders. Select the folder you want the url to be added to. Now either right click the folder and click on Add URL from browser, or click the globe button.

There are numerous ways to add new URLs to Linkman (see the tuturial section) and even more are on the way for 7.30 and 7.40.

Also some sort of a folder tree will be added. We have several hundred users that have surpassed the 1 million links mark, so the method of implementation has to be really thought thru, speed is essential.

OK - I imported my Firefox bookmarks again and the ones saved last night in Linkman are there.  Whew!!  :)

If you import any Mozilla Bookmarks into Linkman and restart it, Linkman will not import them automatically on next start (as with lmd files).

The reason, as mentioned earlier is to point users to the native Linkman data format (lmd) which should be used instead (file | save as makes a lmd file out of your bookmarks).

If the user decides not to use lmd, he/she still can make Linkman import the bookmarks on program start. Just head to Tools | Settings | Program Start and add an Import startup action.

I'm reading through the Help file and PDF manual again, a little more closely now.  But some of this I would expect to be more easily determined right in the UI.  Also, a lot of times the documentation refers only to the Internet Explorer Favorites and the Netscape bookmarks.  I think a lot of the help doc material has been around for quite a while...
-J-Mac

Firefox Bookmarks is an extension to Netscape Bookmarks (basically the same file), so all references to Netscape Bookmarks refer also to Firefox Bookmarks.

I do think it is great that it has such a detailed PDF manual available, though the Help file is a little sparse.  Some items I searched for and got the "Not Found" ding.
-J-Mac

90% of people do not read manuals, so we would be glad to hear suggestions from users that do. Especially which parts of Linkman need more detailed explanation.

However some things like the database locations are not shown at all.  I was going through all the Application Data folders over and over, plus the Program Files folder - only to find it is kept in My Docs!  Not a bad choice at all, though so many developers still insist on using the Program Files folder that I didn't think to look on My Docs first.
-J-Mac

We have a saying in Germany, which roughly translates to "I cannot see the forrest, because of all the trees in front of me".  :P

The next screenshot shows the center of Linkman's main window. A lmd file is loaded on the left side, and Firefox Bookmarks on the right side. I don't think the location of the files is that hard to find.

data_location.png

Also, the Settings dialog...  This might be one for that website of Settings designs that need improvement.  Tabs down the right side and settings seem a bit, scattered? It will take getting used to!
-J-Mac

The tabs are on the right side because visually impaired Linkman users (I mean virtually blind) told us that their reading software can better cope with the settings in this way. This has the additional advantage that there is no need to scroll within the settings window, despite the mass of options.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2008, 02:34 PM by Outertech Support »

J-Mac

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #37 on: April 26, 2008, 02:26 PM »
I think someone should take note of the fact that, whether you decide Linkman is right for you or not, rarely have we seen a shareware author so responsive to user questions and suggestions posted on this forum.  It's impressive and speaks very well for Outertech.  :up:

On that I agree completely.  I am impressed with the level of communication here by Outertech!  And I'm not easily impressed.  (Read:  "I can be a real PITA"   :-[ :)   )

Jim

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #38 on: April 26, 2008, 02:32 PM »
Outertech guy:

I am absorbing your last post now; I've been pretty ill for a couple of days, and haven't even looked back here since last night.  So I'll try to take my time and get it all set up.

What I had switched to doing after realizing that selecting a folder each time wouldn't be as simple is to have it all go to a dated folder daily, and then try to sort it all out when I have time.  Someone else here - maybe Ken? - mentioned that here so I thought I would give that a try.

I'll post back after I'm on my feet again.

Thanks!

Jim

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #39 on: April 26, 2008, 02:39 PM »
What I had switched to doing after realizing that selecting a folder each time wouldn't be as simple is to have it all go to a dated folder daily, and then try to sort it all out when I have time.  Someone else here - maybe Ken? - mentioned that here so I thought I would give that a try.

A lot of users work in this way. This is the fastest way to catalog new links. On the left side of Linkman's main window you have the new URLs, on the right side a folder query. You can drag & drop the URLs from the left side, to the folders on the right side.

The default destination for added URLs can be specified in Tools | Settings | Receive URLs.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2008, 02:40 PM by Outertech Support »

Cloq

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #40 on: April 26, 2008, 06:35 PM »
Very nice minireview (if you can call it that!), KenR.

I still have one question about the product, will it auto sync my IE/firefox bookmarks? Meaning, if I add/delete a favorite/bookmark, will linkman auto detect that a new bookmark was added/deleted and adjust accordingly.

KenR

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #41 on: April 26, 2008, 09:12 PM »
Very nice minireview (if you can call it that!), KenR.

I still have one question about the product, will it auto sync my IE/firefox bookmarks? Meaning, if I add/delete a favorite/bookmark, will linkman auto detect that a new bookmark was added/deleted and adjust accordingly.


Hi Cloq. Thank you for the kind words about my review. When I was done with the review, it seemed amazingly brief for all the time and effort I put into it.

In response to your question, I don't think it will do the autosyncing in the way you want it, but I might be wrong about that as there is a similar feature in the Template section of the Data tab of the options menu which can be set to automatically save in another format when you save the database you are working on.

I think that features such as this could be nice additions. I also use Website Watcher and dearly wish Linkman could just use the same database or make these changes automatically, but equating these is currently requires several steps. Perhaps a macro feature to automate some of these things would be the best compromise.

@J-Mac: My reading of the messages suggested your questions had been answered. Please post a forum message or send me a message if that is not the case.

Ken
Kenneth P. Reeder, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Jacksonville, North Carolina  28546

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #42 on: April 27, 2008, 12:45 AM »
I still have one question about the product, will it auto sync my IE/firefox bookmarks? Meaning, if I add/delete a favorite/bookmark, will linkman auto detect that a new bookmark was added/deleted and adjust accordingly.

You can synchronize only on program start or manually. Linkman can load 2 databases, so you can add startup actions to load several files after each other and copy new links to your main database.

The whole point of Linkman is to use the same lmd database with all browsers.

Cloq

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #43 on: April 27, 2008, 09:35 AM »
KenR: I like your macro feature idea. Flexibility is always a good thing.

Outertech: Thank you for the clarification and I will try your suggestion.

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #44 on: April 30, 2008, 02:07 PM »
A new Linkman has been released.

Version 7.30 offers several user-requested features, in particular:

  • Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 support
  • Installer option to install Linkman on a removable drive (e.g. USB stick)
  • Firefox import/export preserves RSS feed and Icon information
  • URL Validation can retrieve custom metatags
  • Resizable URL Edit area in the main window
  • File locations of Export Templates, Daily and Fast Links can be changed in the GUI
  • "Move to" dialog (Main menu, Shortcut menu, URL properties dialog)
  • Several smaller improvements and bug fixes

Go to Linkman product page or download right away.

J-Mac

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #45 on: April 30, 2008, 02:10 PM »
Outertech,

I've noticed since I first synced that I have lost all of the favicons in my bookmarks.  Did Linkman do that?  Doesn't Linkman handle favicons at all?  I checked the help file and it makes no mention that I can find.

Thanks!

Jim

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #46 on: April 30, 2008, 02:44 PM »
Internet Explorer icons are retained from version 7.0, Firefox icons are retained from version 7.30.

Please keep in mind that both icons format are not compatible with each other, this means:

If you import Firefox bookmarks into Linkman, modify them and export as Firefox bookmarks, the icon info is retained.
If you load IE favorites into Linkman, modify them and save as IE Favorites, the icon info is retained.

If you import Firefox bookmarks or load IE favorites into Linkman, modify them and export/save in a format that differs from the import/load format, icon information will be lost.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2008, 02:49 PM by Outertech Support »

J-Mac

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #47 on: April 30, 2008, 03:03 PM »
I'll have to check what version I am running -- it is the version that was available when this thread started; haven't checked back at all.  Does Linkman by any chance check for updates to itself?

Also, Firefox bookmarks are all that I have imported/exported.  And I am not really concerned about whether or not IE favorites have icons; don't use them enough to even know!

Another quick question:  Can the drop thing be made transparent to a configurable degree?  It is LARGE and wherever I place it, it is in the way.

Thanks!

Jim

PS - My version is 7.2.0.21

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #48 on: April 30, 2008, 03:17 PM »
Version 7.30 is available from today on (scroll up!).

Autoupdate is on the todo list, as a million other things.

Making the "drop thing" optionally transparent is the latest addition to the todo list.

J-Mac

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Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool
« Reply #49 on: May 01, 2008, 01:41 PM »
BTW, Outertech Guy, which one are you on your "About Us" page?   ;)  ;D

Jim